20-02-2023, 06:59 AM
Reena was about to follow her when her phone started ringing. It was an important client so she had no choice but to answer it.
Five thousand...what nonsense. Mansi was sure that the actual payment was a lot more. And Reena was just taking a heftier cut. What did she do anyway? Just sat on her fat as and made contact with businessmen. Mansi could do that herself. Hell, even a waiter could do it. She remembered how that waiter had offered to set her up. Surely he wouldn't charge 20%. In fact she herself had just been propositioned. Without any agent or middlemen. After all, she was someone who had just been paid 20,000 rupees each. How dare Reena try to undersell her?
Mansi thought about this angrily as she walked out of the lobby. She looked around for a cab and was about to hail it when,
"Hello again!"
About twenty feet away, were the two arrogant young men from before. They were standing there smoking cigarettes. She looked at them. They were lean well dressed guys. Not handsome but not bad looking either. Besides, they were young. She took a few steps towards them.
"Hello." she said.
"Already done with your...friend?" the other guy snickered.
"Yes."
"That was fast! Trust me, we will last longer." and he started laughing hard. His buddy gave him a high five.
Mansi waved the cigarette smoke away from her face. And then thought about it. They had said they were rich bankers of some sort from London.
"Offer still stands, by the way."
"What offer?" Mansi looked into his eyes and asked.
"To be your friend."
"For how much?" Mansi couldn't believe she just said that. Instantly she blushed.
The two guys stopped laughing and their faces got serious. So far they had been just having fun.
"Are you...are you serious?" he asked.
"Were you serious?" she asked him back.
The two guys nervously looked around to make sure no one else was listening.
"What is your standard rate?" he asked almost in a whisper.
Mansi remembered how bargaining was done at the places she usually shopped at.
"Fifty thousand rupees." she confidently said.
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"For one or for both of us?" the other guy asked.
"Each."
"Both of us together?"
"That will be extra." Mansi realized she had a knack for this. "One lakh twenty five thousand."
"Shit!" the first guy stamped out his cigarette. "One moment."
The two guys came really close to each other and started whispering. Mansi stood there, feeling strangely confident. See, she didn't need Reena. If she had to sell her body for the sake of her future, then she could do it herself.
"How about...ten thousand?" the taller of the two confidently said.
"What do you think this is? Haggling over a kilo of onion?" Mansi used the same line Reena had. "The lowest I can go is...one lakh together. Forty thousand each if separate."
"Is there...someone else we can discuss this with? Your...manager?" he said looking around.
"No, I am on my own."
They whispered some more. She even heard them chuckling. For a moment she felt self doubt. But then they turned around and said.
"Okay. One lakh. Done." he extended his hand.
"Deal." she offered her hand. He pressed it gently and chuckled.
The three of them walked back inside the hotel. Mansi hoped she would run into Reena aunty again, so she could rub her recent success in her face.
Five thousand...what nonsense. Mansi was sure that the actual payment was a lot more. And Reena was just taking a heftier cut. What did she do anyway? Just sat on her fat as and made contact with businessmen. Mansi could do that herself. Hell, even a waiter could do it. She remembered how that waiter had offered to set her up. Surely he wouldn't charge 20%. In fact she herself had just been propositioned. Without any agent or middlemen. After all, she was someone who had just been paid 20,000 rupees each. How dare Reena try to undersell her?
Mansi thought about this angrily as she walked out of the lobby. She looked around for a cab and was about to hail it when,
"Hello again!"
About twenty feet away, were the two arrogant young men from before. They were standing there smoking cigarettes. She looked at them. They were lean well dressed guys. Not handsome but not bad looking either. Besides, they were young. She took a few steps towards them.
"Hello." she said.
"Already done with your...friend?" the other guy snickered.
"Yes."
"That was fast! Trust me, we will last longer." and he started laughing hard. His buddy gave him a high five.
Mansi waved the cigarette smoke away from her face. And then thought about it. They had said they were rich bankers of some sort from London.
"Offer still stands, by the way."
"What offer?" Mansi looked into his eyes and asked.
"To be your friend."
"For how much?" Mansi couldn't believe she just said that. Instantly she blushed.
The two guys stopped laughing and their faces got serious. So far they had been just having fun.
"Are you...are you serious?" he asked.
"Were you serious?" she asked him back.
The two guys nervously looked around to make sure no one else was listening.
"What is your standard rate?" he asked almost in a whisper.
Mansi remembered how bargaining was done at the places she usually shopped at.
"Fifty thousand rupees." she confidently said.
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"For one or for both of us?" the other guy asked.
"Each."
"Both of us together?"
"That will be extra." Mansi realized she had a knack for this. "One lakh twenty five thousand."
"Shit!" the first guy stamped out his cigarette. "One moment."
The two guys came really close to each other and started whispering. Mansi stood there, feeling strangely confident. See, she didn't need Reena. If she had to sell her body for the sake of her future, then she could do it herself.
"How about...ten thousand?" the taller of the two confidently said.
"What do you think this is? Haggling over a kilo of onion?" Mansi used the same line Reena had. "The lowest I can go is...one lakh together. Forty thousand each if separate."
"Is there...someone else we can discuss this with? Your...manager?" he said looking around.
"No, I am on my own."
They whispered some more. She even heard them chuckling. For a moment she felt self doubt. But then they turned around and said.
"Okay. One lakh. Done." he extended his hand.
"Deal." she offered her hand. He pressed it gently and chuckled.
The three of them walked back inside the hotel. Mansi hoped she would run into Reena aunty again, so she could rub her recent success in her face.